Author: Carolyn Thomas

Why “Call me if you need help…” is not helpful

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 23 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters 

Immediately after my heart attack, I appreciated kind-hearted friends and family who said: “Just call me if there’s anything at all that I can do for you!”

But as well-meaning as those offers were, I knew deep down in my heart of hearts that I was NOT likely to call them to ask about certain things I needed help with, like:

“Can you please come over and change the kitty litter?” 

As those who don’t like asking others for help can attest, that request was just never going to happen.   Continue reading “Why “Call me if you need help…” is not helpful” →

When heart attack symptoms disappear – and then return

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 16 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥  @HeartSisters  

One of the most surprising things about having a heart attack was experiencing cardiac symptoms that appeared, and then went away, and then returned, over and over again for two weeks until I was finally appropriately diagnosed. What was happening to me? In my (mistaken) stereotype of what a heart attack looks like, I had pictured sudden chest-clutching agony that became swiftly worse until you keeled over, unconscious and/or dead.

Every time those come-and-go symptoms eased up, it helped me to believe the Emergency physician who had misdiagnosed my symptoms as acid reflux before sending me home.  Continue reading “When heart attack symptoms disappear – and then return” →

The heart patient’s not the only one in the room

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 10 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥  @HeartSisters  

Leslie Pitt is a marriage and family therapist whose husband Graham suffered a terrifying sudden cardiac arrest in his sleep while on vacation in Hilton Head Island, North Carolina. In this short and compelling video, she talks about the care they each received from 9-1-1 dispatchers and Fire Rescue personnel – care that not only saved Graham’s life, but significantly reduced her own post-traumatic stress.  Continue reading “The heart patient’s not the only one in the room” →

Is SCAD rare? Or just rarely diagnosed correctly?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 14 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥  @HeartSisters  

I was so happy to see Katherine Leon featured in The New York Times recently. Katherine, like me, is a graduate of the WomenHeart Science & Leadership patient advocacy training at Mayo Clinic. She told the Times of undergoing emergency coronary bypass surgery at age 38, several days after her severe cardiac symptoms had been dismissed by doctors who told her, “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

She isn’t alone. Many, many studies have shown that female heart patients are significantly more likely to be under-diagnosed – and worse, often under-treated even when appropriately diagnosed – compared to our male counterparts. This is especially true for women with her condition (Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection, or SCAD) that was once considered to be a rare disease.

Dr. Sharonne Hayes is also featured in the NYT piece; she’s a respected Mayo Clinic cardiologist, longtime SCAD researcher and founder of the Mayo Women’s Heart Clinic. (You can read their story here).

But almost as soon as the Times piece was published online, I was gobsmacked to see some of the reader comments coming in – especially comments from people like these:     . Continue reading “Is SCAD rare? Or just rarely diagnosed correctly?” →